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More than just “good enough” food bloggers
A while back there was a discussion about food blogging at BlogHer, Is Food Blogging too Hard? I commented that there’s nothing wrong with being a “good enough” food blogger – especially those of us who have jobs, do freelance work, or are just busy taking care of our families. Many of us don’t have the talent and energy to create yummy original recipes. Or years of experience in taking gorgeous food photographs. Or the fortitude to do a crock pot recipe every day for a year. And that’s OK. If we can manage to post a few recipes (original or not), and take a quick snapshot for our blog before we serve what we cooked up to our kids, then we’re doing alright.
Yet there are fabulous food bloggers out there who do it all. They inspire me even though we may have different food and blogging philosophies. Frankly, I’m amazed how lucky I am to call these women friends.
Alanna Kellogg of A Veggie Venture and The Kitchen Parade
There would be no On a Diet at This Mama Cooks! without Alanna. A few years ago, Alanna and I had a friendly disagreement about what I was featuring here on my then neglected blog – other people’s recipes that I hadn’t tried and had no intention of doing so. (Yes, it was lazy food blogging at its best.) I reasoned with her that no one wanted to read diet recipes. Or did they? It was a light bulb moment for me and This Mama Cooks! On a Diet was born. Alanna and I met soon afterwards at BlogHer 2007 in Chicago and I’ve always been grateful for her friendship – and for giving me a kick in the pants.
Kalyn at Kalyn’s Kitchen
Kalyn was one of the first people to rally the food blogging community by getting us together at BlogHer. I still remember the wonderful Chinese food we had in Chicago at BlogHer 2007 and the lovely meal she and I shared at Sandra Bullock’s restaurant, Bess Bistro on Pecan, during SXSW 2009. She was also one of the first people I knew who quit their day job for blogging. (Actually Kalyn retired from teaching with a pension. Still it was impressive.) Over the years, her South Beach Diet blog has become even more gorgeous and professional looking. She and her blog are ones to emulate, for sure.
Vanessa at ChefDruck Musings
We’ve roomed together at BlogHer Food and Camp Blogaway. We’ve hung out with the Silicon Valley mom bloggers at BlogHer, and the funny people at the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Conference. We’re competing against each other in the Hillshire Farm’s Most Wanted Sandwich contest. We’re both French (though Vanessa’s waaaaay more French than me). Both our moms are breast cancer survivors. We like to spatchcock turkeys (mine) to chickens (hers). She’s smart, savvy and sweet and, like me, passionate about being a mom and making delicious food. She’s my sister from another (French) mother.
Jennifer at Savor the Thyme
When it comes to making my food blogging more professional, Jennifer inspires me. We both struggle to make our blogs the best that they can be even while working around our kids’ schedules and our freelance gigs. Did I mention her food photography is getting more gorgeous every day? And that her healthy recipes at her blog and on Babble’s The Family Kitchen are oh-so-yummy? My mom used to tell me that when she played tennis with better players, her game improved. When I see what Jennifer’s doing, she motivates me to be a better healthy food blogger.
Marla at Family Fresh Cooking
Marla is about as big as my 10-year-old son and has more energy than a high school cheerleading squad. She’s talented. Honest. Funny. Insightful. Ambitious. A real dynamo and going places fast! We first met at the Good Egg Project's Farm to Table Tour, and I’ve seen her go from food blogging newbie to seasoned, expert food blogger in less than a year. Her blog is wonderful – delicious recipes, gorgeous photography, and amazing giveaways her readers love. Plus, she “walks the (healthy) walk,” from taking a jog at Camp Blogaway to carrying stevia extract in her purse. I know Marla’s going to go far, whether it’s a cookbook deal or her own cooking show on network TV. And I’ll be proud to tell others that I “knew her when.”
I hope you take time to visit these women at their wonderful food blogs.
Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to support a friend's wish. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.
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